p3rmafrost

I might take you up on that. Didn't you have a few other things for sale as well?

I don't know how I missed your reply. These are fantastic suggestions. I'm going to start looking around at some examples of these right now. Ideally I am planning on putting a list together then making a post of what I'm looking for. I would really prefer to go "shopping" with a WAMAS member and keep the money in the community.

I might be interested in the 75. Is it 75G total, or 75 in the display? Do you happen to have the dimensions on it? Thank you!

Hello WAMAS! It has been 30 days since making updates on my tank. As promised, I wanted to share my observations and insight on the changes I've seen with the tank. Recap of Changes - Lighting upgraded from Radion G3 XR15 Pro x2 to Giesemann Aurora V4 T5/LED Hybrid Added 2 Sicce Nano powerheads to the back wall. Powerheads are controlled by a Sicce Waverider Added Jebao 4 head pump Dosing Aquaforest 1+,2+,3+, and Korallen-Zucht Trace Element Complex (new addition this month, rationale below) Verified Data - ICP testing data shows that parameters are very stable. Over the past 90 days calcium has remained at 420, alkalinity is at 9dkh, nitrates 4 ppm, phosphates at .025, ammonia at 0, MG at 1210. There are minor fluctuations, but not statistically significant. ICP testing indicated that trace elements were extremely low, many were under 1 ppB. These results caused me to purchase the Korallen Zucht trace element additive. The packaging for the Aquforest system states that all trace elements are included in the 1+,2+,3+ dosing additive. The test results indicate that either that isn't accurate, or my corals are absorbing trace elements at a higher rate than the Aquaforest product can accommodate. I am currently awaiting results of an ICP test that was sent in last week. I will update this if there is a significant (or alarming) change. Subjective Data (bullets here detailed descriptions below the bullets) - Coral appears to have grown noticeably, with a few exceptions that I will outline below. There has been a significant reduction in the green powder algae that had previously accumulated on the glass. Noticeable growth in anemones Drastic reduction in accumulation of silt/detritus on rock work 1 clownfish (presumably the female) began hosting a green bubble tip Both bubble tip anemones no longer show bubble formation on tentacles There has been an increase in a light brown/tan silt along the front edge of the tank Fish activity has increased. clowns have become defensive/aggressive of the tank Hermit crabs have become semi-aggressive to each other and started what I have coined "The Highlander Situation" Kenya Tree coral has not responded favorably Subjective Data Details - Coral appears to have grown noticeably, with a few exceptions. Hard corals have responded by growing new branches and increasing polyp extension. In the past "stick" type coral did not thrive in my tank. They didn't outright die, but they certainly didn't thrive. A few notable examples: The purple pocci has grown several new arms, it currently has 20 branches or protrusions. Photographs from November 11 show 14. An unknown green stick shows 10 branches or protrusions on November 11, photos from today show 15. One colony of zoanthids has grown from 9 polyps on November 11 to 13 as of December 12. Many other zoa colonies show similar growth/spread Frogspawn coral is showing 3 new heads budding from the stalk of the largest head. Mushroom corals have multiplied, they have grown too large and numerous to count. Several of my red ones have detached from the original colony and spread to rock work on the opposite side of the tank. Acan and blasto corals show full, "puffy" polyps during the day, and a visible response to feeding, but they have not increased noticeably in size. Montipora and plating corals have rooted to the rock work and have begun encrusting the surrounding area. Unfortunately I do not have an easy way to measure the exact growth. I purchased a moderately sized cyphastrea colony that was severely damaged. The colony is roughly the size of a hockey puck or a cupcake (whichever incredibly scientific method of measurement you prefer). Roughly half of the colony was black, the live portion is blue with small orange polyps. As of this morning roughly 80% of the black portion is now covered in blue and orange tissue. It appears to be rapidly recovering. Gorgonia coral has shown to be very sensitive to the new lights. The polyps will not extend at all in direct light exposure. I moved it to a shaded area of the tank, the polyps now will fully extend during hours of illumination then retract at night. It has shown no visible growth. My Kenya Tree coral has not responded favorably. It has taken on a slumped over and pale appearance. However, it has dropped branches that have sprouted all over the tank. Each week when I change the water I have to remove the pups. The Kenya Tree is in a rear corner of the tank and sits under a very large condy anemone. The placement was intentional. I suspected that the anemone might sting it and discourage its normally rampant growth. Between the changes outlined above, and the stings, it has grown less, but I would still consider it borderline invasive. Green star polyps show excellent coloration and extension, but zero growth. Several other corals fit this description as well, including gonipora, hydnophona, and a short tentacle torch. Most corals have shown a change in color. The colors have become more pronounced. Single color corals, like the purple pocci have become darker. Zoas have shown the most significant change. Prior to the changes in the tank I was under the impression that the majority of the zoas were the same variant. After making changes I have identified many different variants with easily discernible color patterns. There has been a significant reduction in the green powder algae that had previously accumulated on the glass. Prior to making changes in the tank I was scrubbing the glass daily. Now green powder algae accumulates at a much slower rate. I can easily go 3 days before a slight discoloration on the glass is noticeable. Coraline algae has increased, and new varieties are appearing. I have spotted several patches of blood red coraline growing around the tank. Standard purple coraline appears on the glass routinely and often has to be scrapped off in order to view the tank unobstructed. In the absence of the powder algae another form of algae has begun sprouting on the glass. I'm not sure what it is, but it is incredibly hard and small. Clumps are about the size of a pencil tip, light green in color, and require a razor to remove. It has not become problematic, but it is a noticeable change. Noticeable growth in anemones. The green bubble tip has shown the most growth. At the widest point it is approximately 10 inches in diameter. The sebae has increased the size of it's oral disc approximately 50% The condy anemone has visibly longer tentacle, which often form into rattlesnake rattles at the tip. It's challenging to describe and photograph, but the tips have taken on an appearance similar to a rattlesnake tail. The rainbow bubble tip has doubled in size The rock flower has grown slightly, but shows much more expansion during the daylight cycle. Drastic reduction in accumulation of silt/detritus on rock work. When changing water I take the opportunity to use a turkey baster and clean the rock work. Previously I would "dust" the rocks and clouds of fine silt would be dislodged. Now there is very little "dust" that pops up, except from small or tight areas in the rock work. 1 Clownfish (presumably the female) began hosting a green bubble tip. One clown moved into the GBTA. I believe it is the female, but I could be mistaken. She moved in when a group of visitors during Thanksgiving were looking at the tank. She saw them and shot backwards into it. Since then she sleeps there, and generally during the day she hangs pretty close to it. This is simply anecdotal, but prior to making changes the clowns acted as though they were frightened of the anemones. If they swam near one and a tentacle touched them they would act completely surprised and dart away. Both bubble tip anemones no longer show bubble formation on tentacles. Bubbles are no longer visible on the rainbow or green BTA. The condy has adopted some bizarre formations to its tentacle, most notable is the rattlesnake rattle shape noted above. It occasionally forms distinct bubbles on its tips as well. There has been an increase in a light brown/tan silt along the front edge of the tank. I have noticed sediment accumulating at the front edge of the tank. It is a light brown dust that is easily removed with a baster, or water motion. There is a powerhead pointed directly at the affected area, but appears to have no impact. Sediment does not accrue anywhere else in the tank. Fish activity has increased. clowns have become defensive/aggressive of the tank. Overall the fish are out and visible more often. This can be explained with the passage of time, they've been there long enough to acclimate and get used to their surroundings. The clown fish will aggressively defend the tank. If you place an object such as your arm, a baster, forceps, or a net, into the tank, they will immediately inspect it and bite it. They do not appear to be aggressive to other fish or invertebrates. I introduced a Yasha Goby to keep the pistol shrimp company, contrary to the above, neither of them appear more active. I haven't seen the Goby since the day I introduced it, and I can only confirm that the pistol shrimp is alive through observing their excavation work and marksmanship. Hermit crabs have become semi-aggressive to each other and started what I have coined "The Highlander Situation". There is a large hermit crab population in the tank. The exact number is unknown, but I believe it to be approximately 20. I introduced an African Knobby Creeper in mid-November. One of the larger hermits climbed into the entrance of the Creeper's shell and stayed there for 3 days until he was able to eat, or dislodge the Creeper. That hermit moved into the Creeper shell and began dragging it (destructively) around the tank. The shell is far too large for him to move efficiently. Other crabs appear to have become envious of their new home and ripped them from it, discarding their carcass in the tank. There is now a cabal of crabs who are pursuing the current owner and attempting to removing them. There is only one Knobby Creeper shell, and can only be one owner, thus, "The Highlander Situation" was born. Kenya Tree coral has not responded favorably. The Kenya Tree, as stated above has not responded well to the changes. It has not grown in height, but continues to drop branches that sprout around the tank. As noted, I suspect it is a combination of being stung, and low nutrients. New Additions to the Tank - The following were added to the tank and their progress will be documented with the next write up: One Sally Lightfoot Crab Orange Clove Polyps Red/Orange Monti Dragon Soul Favia (very small) Blue/Green Florida Ricodea If you've made it this far, thank you. I am open to suggestions and feedback, and I would like to know if these posts are helpful to the community. If you would like me to continue to document the changes in the tank, please let me know. If there is additional information that you would find valuable, please let me know that as well. Now, on to the pictures! A few select photos are below, and a link to the full album is available here: Full Album Here - https://photos.app.goo.gl/fWSTk9He621V7y7b9

Good call on the bacteria. Time to do research!

Oh yeah, it'll be clean. Turtles are pretty nasty. They have a host of bacteria and other funk that I don't want in my reef. I keep two sets of gear so they're never cross contaminated. I'll need to research what kind of disinfectant to use, but when the time comes I'll figure it out.

This is great advice. I have often found that "small" projects turn into a yak shave which in turn makes small projects big, time consuming projects. After the discussions here what I am leaning towards is upgrading the turtle tank first. She's an air breather so she can sit around in her holding tank for a long time, she can even sit in the tub for a bit while I work on her tank. Once her spot is upgraded that would give me a "spare" 55 gallon tank to sit on the ground and move my livestock into. I can transfer over the pumps and run a bare bottom tank for a while as I get the new tank set up. That should reduce the stress and give me time to correct any issues that pop up. Does that sound reasonable?

You all rock. This has been really good advice. Right now I don't have a new tank, and I'm not really in the market for one. If a fantastic deal (which happens a lot around here) popped up, I might jump on it, but it isn't a priority. That said, I'm absolutely certain that at some point I will upgrade the tank, and I wanted to make sure I thought through the logistics before hand. My basement is pretty large, and I have plenty of space to make/store extra salt water. I also have the room to store the existing water in my tank. It would be a matter of picking up either a huge brute bucket, or a ton of 5 gallon Home Depot buckets. The room will look like crap for a few days, but that's to be expected. Fortunately, most of my corals are on rocks that are small enough to fit into containers, and I think I could get them out without damaging anything. I also have a bunch of extra rock. I have a few select pieces that I have been "seasoning" in my sump. When the time comes to upgrade, I would probably rotate them to the display, and add my other pieces into the sump for a few weeks. I think the only new thing I would need would be some sand. I believe I have enough equipment to facilitate the move. I have a 4 head doser, large skimmer, 3 power heads, 1 gyre and an adequate light. The return pump would likely need to be upgraded. I would be looking at moving from my Reefer 250 to something in the 100-150 gallon range. It really depends on the dimensions of the tank, I would be looking for something around 48 inches wide. My current tank is 36 inches wide. I'm also looking at upgrading a second tank, a 55 gallon freshwater tank. We have a turtle that my wife rescued from a colleague years ago (she's the only occupant). After getting back into saltwater, we discussed it, and we'd like to do a similar setup for the turtle. We would like to have something with a sump and be able to hide the massive amount of filtration equipment that turtles need (messy critters). Thanks again to everyone for their advice, if you have more, or if you read this post and I missed something, keep it coming!

Hello Everyone - I'm curious to hear how you planned out your tank upgrade. I currently have a Reefer 250 (54 gallon display, 11 gallon sump). I'm confident that at some point I would like to upgrade it to a larger tank, right now I'm thinking about something in the 100 gallon range. I'd like to get something about 48 inches wide. My current tank is in the only viable spot in the basement for a tank of that size. If I were to upgrade, my current tank would need to come down, and the new tank would need to go into its place. The current tank has a variety of corals, a huge CUC, and 6 fish. How would you tackle that challenge?

Ok, I legitimately thought "meat coral" was a joke. I just looked them up and was surprised that it's a real thing . Those are pretty sweet. I will absolutely add them to the list. Right now I'm hoping that I can find a local member to buy something from when the time is right. I've had a lot of success with the corals I've picked up here. The ones I got from @thakki are some of the best performers in my system. I picked up a few things from him that I wasn't sure I could grow and they took off like wildfire.

Hello Everyone - I'm looking for some suggestions/advice. My wife wants to take me coral shopping for Christmas this year. I'd like to pick up something a little weird or unusual for the tank, and I would love to hear your opinions on what to look for. Let's hear what you think would make an interesting addition to the tank. My tank specs, inhabitants, and parameters are listed below. Tank Specs - Reefer 250 (54g display w/ 11g sump) Giesemann Aurora V4 hybrid light, 3 LEDs and 4 T5 bulbs 1 gyre pump and 3 standard wavemakers (1 on the opposite side from the gyre, 2 on the back wall) Inhabitants - 2x clowns 1x lawnmower blenny 1x dwarf coral beauty 1x mandarin dragonet 1x royal gramma 1x pistol shrimp (his goby counterpart is in quarantine) Multiple nems - 1 GBTA, 1x Rainbow BTA (baby) 1 Sebae, 1 Condy, 1 Rock Flower Large CUC - snails, crabs, worms, the usual Corals - Mixed tank Purple Pocci Green Slimer Forest Fire Digi Unknown Acro Plating corals (not sure what kind, but they're all doing great) Various mushrooms (also doing extremely well) Leptos Kenya Trees (getting out of control) 1x blasto 1x acan (doing very well, and quickly becoming a new favorite) Multiple named zoas, although I can't recall any of their names 1x red gonipora 4x candy canes (all have at least 10 heads) GSP (oddly not growing much) Medium size cyphastrea (this one was in rough shape when I bought it, it is slowly coming back) 1x pink cadilac monti 1x 24k lepto (not doing well) 1x blue/black lepto (frag size but doing well) 1x gorgonia 3x large frogspawn 4x pink hammers Tank parameters - see attached ICP test. Trace elements are low, I have ordered a supplement and will begin dosing this weekend. Currently using Aqua Forest probiotic salt and dosing 1+,2+,3+ system. Picture of tank attached. If you have suggestions on where to put something to improve the aesthetic of the tank, I would be interested in hearing your opinion. Thanks for looking, and I'm excited to hear your feedback. edited test.pdf

Welcome! Someone just posted some black widows in the for sale section if you're interested.

Thank you! I spend too much time staring at the corals and looking for a single new polyp. I think adding the two powerheads to the back wall to increase circulation made a difference. The corals seem happier, for whatever that's worth. The only problem I'm running into now is that the sediment seems to gravitate towards the front of the tank. I get a little bit of brown "dust", which is odd, since it seems to settle right in front of my MP-10. I think I'm going to have to adjust the flow again and make sure everything is circulating properly.

Hello Everyone! I've had my tank up and running for a while and I haven't had the growth I was expecting. I started comparing my tank to other tanks that did have good growth and started comparing and contrasting to see if there were improvements that could be made on my tank to encourage my corals to grow out. I made a few changes and decided to take some monthly photos to document the growth and overall progress of the tank and I thought it might be interesting to share with the community. Original Tank Setup and Equipment - Reefer 250 (54 Gallon Display/11 Gallon Sump) Radion G3 XR-15 Pro x2 Lights - Running AB+ Schedule EcoTech MP-10 Running "Reef Crest" x1 Icecap 1K Gyre Running Push/Pull Mode Octo 150S Skimmer Filter Floss and Pho Pad Filter Socks Titanium Heater With External Temp Control Dosing Tropic Marin All-For-Reef By Hand Updated Equipment - Ditched the Radions and swapped to a Giesemann 48 Inch Aurora V4 T5 LED Hybrid - Running 2x Coral Plus and 2x Blue Plus Lights Added 2x Sicce Nano Voyager Pumps Added Sicce Wave Surfer Pump Controller (Broken Out of the Box, Can't Comment on This) Added JeBao 4 Head Doser - Dosing 60ML 1+,2+, and 3+ Per Day Switched to AquaForest Pro-Biotic Salt Changed Icecap to Push 100% - Pull 0% - This Nearly Eliminated Sound Sicce Pumps Run 100% and Bounce off Back Corners Light Schedule is 12 Hours - 3 Hour LED Ramp Up to 50%, 6 Hours T5 at 50%, 3 Hour LED Ramp Down - Moonlight New lights, salt, doser, and Sicce Voyager pumps have been installed and running for 2 weeks. I have noticed a significant response from the corals in the last 2 weeks. I have a few SPS in the tank that had never extended their polyps in the past. They're not out super far yet, but they are emerging. That by itself is a big improvement for my tank. SPS were not thriving the way it was running previously. My frogspawn and hammers are more extended and full looking. My plating corals have firmly attached to the rock work and are growing quickly. This is also a big improvement for me. In the past plating corals would take months to encrust over the frag plug, or simply fade and die. My anemones are full, colored nicely, and appear quite happy. Below are a few pictures of the tank as a whole, and a few selected corals. I will continue to document and try to get a basic measure of growth over time. Thanks for taking a look, if anyone has comments, questions, or suggestions, I'm open to discussion. If you have any suggestions on corals to try (and where to put them!) I'm very open to discussion.

Hello Everyone! I'd love to hear your opinions on what fish would make an interesting addition to my tank. Current setup: Reefer 250 2x Ecotech G3 XR15 light 1x Ecotech MP10 pump 1x Icecap Gyre 1x Octo Classic 150 skimmer Running filter socks, phosban pads, filter fleece, charcoal, and I have some (not much) macro algae in the sump Current inhabitants: 2x 3 stripe damsels 1x coral beauty angelfish 1x lawnmower blenny 1x pistol shrimp 1x watchman goby (maybe...I haven't seen him in several weeks) 2x condy nems 1x rock flower 1x green BTA CUC Various corals, mostly softies. Kenya trees, ricordia, zoas. Couple of frogspawn, 1 large candy cane, couple of hard corals, all small size, 2 gonipora (both small, one is doing great, the other is struggling). 1 monti. Things I'm considering: Clowns - Would love to hear suggestions on what kind Wrasse - Not sure what kind Basslet Hawkfish - will is pick at the CUC? Please let me know your thoughts! If you have an idea of what reasonable prices might be I'd be interested to hear that too. Thank you!

Hello everyone! Any nem experts around? I have three nems in my tank. 2 condy and one green BTA. My Condys have started getting very fat tentacles with bubbled tips. They almost look like twisted balloons. Is that normal? Thanks!

Hi John! They absolutely did. Your team rocks. I'm a big fan of the shop and I look forward to meeting you in person.

It has been so hard not to reply to every thread in the for sale section with "Sure, I'll take it!".

I was on a road trip recently and was looking for fish stores along the route. Fortunately Blue Ribbon was on the way and I got to meet the wonderful staff that was on duty that day. Kyle, Stephi (I'm sorry if I spelled that wrong!), and Bob were all incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Kyle put together a sweet frag pack for me, everything was pest free, and thriving. The variety of fish and corals on hand was better than any of the other shops I have been to in the area, they had everything I needed for my tank in stock, and they took the time to educate me on what I was buying. I will absolutely be coming back. If you haven't been there, make the trip, you won't regret it. Blue Ribbon Koi - if y'all see this, great job! I'm the guy who brought you chicken from Yoder's BBQ. I'm looking forward to my next visit to the shop.

I'm trying! It was such a long and convoluted story on how he ended up with the tank. Someone owed him money and ended up trading the tank in lieu of cash. Once his brother found out he had it he got excited and started buying things for it. His brother would stop by his house and "drop off" new things. At one point there were eels (plural), trigger fish, multiple sea stars, and other things in there. When I picked it up he flat out told me he had no idea what I would find in there. Personally, I think he was happy to not have to deal with it anymore and he was more concerned about someone rehabilitating it than getting any money out of it. He asks me for pictures and updates whenever I see him and he seems genuinely happy that the tank is doing well. My goal is to learn, get the maintenance and monitoring down, and grow out the tank. I'm going to keep reading up on topics here and adjust my technique as I go. I'm excited that there are some local people I can lean on for help, everyone here seems welcoming. I'm excited for Fragfest! That should be amazing. I need to figure out how to upgrade my membership to a family one, I'd like to bring my wife along but I saw the post saying it was members only. If you know an easy was to upgrade, or who I should reach out to, please let me know!

It's been a wild ride. Thank you for the offer on the frags, I will happily take you up on that. I'm in Loudoun, near Ashburn, so you're not far from me. I am so happy that I found this forum and the reefing subreddit. If I had taken on this project in the 90's I would have spent a lot of time at the library and I don't think I would have been as successful. It really is incredible to have an abundance of topics and resources available on demand, the posts here have been a tremendous help. A little update on the current status of the tank: One the pump with the bad wire came out the tank turned around in a matter of a few days. As sad as it was to lose the corals I had it may have been a blessing in disguise. Now that the sea star is out the corals are no longer being pestered (or eaten) and are thriving. I currently have: Kenya Trees (LOTS of them) Various mushrooms that have spread pretty well. I'm terrible at remembering or recording the names. I have a neon green one, a blue and yellow one, a red one, and tons of purpleish green ones. They are doing extremely well. Zoas, probably 5 or 6 different kinds. The only one I know by name is "Bowser", the others are ones my wife picked because of the patterns. They are spreading and doing well. Candy Cane with 8 or 9 heads. It suffered when the tank got zapped, but it is growing back nicely. Euphylia with 3 heads. I thought it was a goner but it has come back pretty well. It sprouted a new branch and the ones that were damaged either by electricity or the sea star are filling back in. Red chili coral. I spotted it growing in a cave. I thought it had been eaten but thankfully I was wrong. It's about the size of a marshmallow and adds a lot of interest to the tank at night. 2 different montis, no idea what kind. 2 gonipora, again, no idea what kind. They're both about the size of a pencil eraser, but they are growing and the polyps extend nicely. They are living in a little frag rack for the moment and seem happy. 1 bird's nest. This is another one I considered pulling out of the tank. The sea star devoured it and I was positive it wouldn't survive. It had a couple of specs of color on it and I left it in the tank. It has nearly fully recovered and it seems to be doing well. Other Inhabitants: 2 Condy anemone, both are in great shape. 1 Green BTA, doing very well. There was a gigantic RBTA that was lost when the tank got zapped. I was pretty sad about that. 1 Pistol shrimp and 1 watchman goby. Since I introduced the goby to the shrimp I haven't seen either of them. I know their around somewhere because they have done a lot of remodeling to the tank. All in there are 5 small fish, 1 shrimp, 3 nems, cleanup crew, and various small corals. I'd like to add some height to the rocks at some point. The only "tall" coral I have are the kenya trees. I'd also love some plating or chalice coral, maybe a torch at some point. For now my plan is to order some ICP test kits, make sure everything is on track and monitor. I want to make sure it is a safe environment for whatever I add, and I want to make sure I know how to keep it alive. I would feel awful if I picked up something from a member and promptly killed it. I feel like when someone trusts you enough to pass along a frag it's your responsibility to give it a good home. In a perfect scenario I'd like to grow some stuff out and pass it along with the SWAP program and pay it forward. The community helped me out before I even introduced myself, the least I can do is help another member. Thanks again for your reply and encouragement.

Hello Everyone, I wanted to take a moment to share a story, and say thank you to all of the great posts and fantastic information I've found here. I was recently gifted a reef tank from a friend. He was going through a hard time and had to leave his house suddenly. He called me and asked if I was interested in his "fish tank" because he wanted it to go to someone responsible and most of his friends weren't up to the task of caring for it. I initially declined, I already have a large turtle tank and wasn't in the market for a new tank. He told me that there were animals in the tank and that he didn't really have anyone else to turn to, so I agreed to take the tank. He informed me that it would have to be picked up in the next couple of hours, and absolutely had to be out of the house that night. After a few more questions I discovered that it was a Red Sea Reefer 250, complete with fish, inverts and corals. When I arrived at his place I saw that the tank was in bad shape. It had been neglected for quite some time, it was overgrown with algae, I couldn't find any of the creatures living it and I have no idea what he had the parameters at. I've kept fish for a long time, and I have had a saltwater tank in the past, but got out of the hobby. I knew this was going be hard on the fish, challenging to move, and would likely kill most of the inhabitants. I didn't have any chemicals on hand, no salt at home, nothing to treat the fish with, no food, and no quarantine area for them. Here's a shot of the tank when I arrived. I did a little research on moving a tank and followed the advice the best I could. I called my wife and had her clear a spot for the new tank, went to Home Depot and grabbed a ton of buckets, siphoning hose, and some cleaning supplied. I drained the tank and preserved the water in buckets, kept the corals wet, and eventually found the fish. I kept them separated by species. We broke everything down and managed to Jenga it into my truck. When I got home I cleaned everything as quickly as I could. I felt like I was under a time crunch to get everything set back up because I didn't want any of the creatures to be in stagnant water for long. I worked on taking inventory and setting everything back up. In total I had: Equipment: 1 Red Sea Reefer 250 Tank 1 Octo 150S Classic Skimmer 1 Ecotech Quiet Drive Vortech Power head 1 Reactor with activated charcoal 2 Ecotech Radion XR15 Pro Gen 3 lights 1 Heater 1 Temperature alarm 1 Power Brick 1 Ecotech Reeflink 1 Return pump Various accessories (nets, magfloat, agale scrapper, etc.) Livestock: 2 4 strip damsels 1 Yellow tail damsel 1 Coral beauty angel fish 1 Skunk shrimp 1 Chocolate chip sea star 1 Tuxedo urchin 1 RBT anemone 1 Large Kenya tree coral and several small ones 3 Clusters of zoas (no idea what kind) 5 Hermit crabs 1 Turbo snail 1 Sleeper goby 1 Sailfin blenny Some pulsing Xenia chunks. I ran to Petco and grabbed some instant ocean salt and hit the grocery store for distilled water. I managed to get the tank up and running pretty quickly and returned all of the creatures back to their home. All in, the only fish I lost was the yellow tail damsel. I hired a local reef maintenance company to come over and show me how to care for the tank, and service it. We went over all of the details and my confidence level went up quite a bit. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. The tank was way over crowded with live rock. My friend told me that he thought most of it was coral of one type or another, so I wanted to get it all back in the tank and see what started to show signs of life. After a few weeks there were quite a few pieces that didn't seem to have anything growing on them and I removed about a 5 gallon bucket worth of rock. I took it to my LFS, he added it to a quarantine tank, and he'll rehome it eventually. Maybe he'll get lucky and get some free frags out of it, but I doubt it. The lights needed service, so they got sent off for repair. I have no idea how long the tank was without light. It was near a sliding glass door in my friends basement, so I guess they were getting sunlight through the glass. They're up and running now and are programmed to the Coral Lab AB+ routine. Thanks to the great posts here I decided to rescape the tank. I still have more rock in there than I would like, but the stuff that I kept all has something living in or on it. I'm waiting to see what sprouts. Once I know what is legitimately thriving I can remove a few more things. If anyone is interested in seeing pictures, there is a little album here. I'm sure a few of you probably noticed the selection of things living in this tank are not ideal. Please remember, I didn't pick them. I'm working on getting everyone in the best situation I can provide for them, and I'm trying to keep them all safe. I hand feed the starfish to keep him away from the corals, the aquascaping has given the blenny and the goby some great hiding spots so they can stay away from the damsels. The damsels have caves that they like to stay in, the shrimp is hosting the anemone (I hand feed the anemone too and the shrimp gets scraps). The urchin picked up a zoa cluster and he's been wearing it as a hat while he walks around the tank. The Kenya tree is under control for now, and I have a place that will take frags. So far, so good, and thanks to your experience I know what to look for so I can keep ahead of any issues that might pop up. I had the tank going for about 6 months with no issues and decided to go to a frag festival in southern Virginia and picked up some new stuff. For a few months everything was thriving. About two months ago I checked on the tank when I got home from work and noticed that the starfish was dead, most of my corals were bleached, and my soft corals looked terrible. I immediately drained 50 percent of the water and changed it with Imagitarum sea water. I tested my parameters and ammonia was a little high (presumably due to dead animals), but I couldn't identify what was killing the tank. I went to scrub out the sump and got pretty badly electrocuted. Due to the poor condition of some of the hardware a cable had corroded and was running voltage into the water. I pulled the pump, replaced it, checked the remaining equipment and got the tank back in order. The corals that survived are doing well. Parameters are in order and the tank is back on track. What a learning experience it has been. Unfortunately I lost a ton of coral, but lesson learned. Thanks to everyone here I was able to triage and save some of the tank. I'm excited to be part of the group. I look forward to learning from everyone and contributing where I can. Unfortunately I missed this month's meeting, but I'm looking forward to the next one.

Howdy! Brand new here, I'm in Loudoun County, not far from Dulles. Glad to be part of the club.