amos September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 (edited) 11/2/08 Edit: Updated pics Its been great seeing other's tanks on this site, so being a newer member I thought I would share a couple of pics and history of my 90 gallon. My experience started in 2004, when I transitioned from a casual freshwater owner to a full fledged (obsessed) saltwater owner. I started with a 29 gallon, which was confusing for me because it fell somewhere between a nano and "regular" sized tank (55 gallons+). I started slow, cycled with some three stripes (*cringe*), and was on my way. Don't see too many devils' hand leathers around, as in the picture. That one came from petco, and didn't survive. About one year later, I upgraded to a 55 (no good pic), and this past march I upgraded again into a RR 90 gallon. This is a 90 gallon corner RR with a 15 gallon sump. Its a fairly low-tech build compared to some others, but it fit my budget and my needs. I run an Octopus 150, 4x54w TekLight fixture, and two maxi-jets modded on a wave timer. I don't dose, but I do weekly water changes and target feed corals that will accept it. As you can see, its fairly mushroom dominated, and will probably remain so, but I've ventured into SPS to see what this tank can handle. WAMAS has been a great place to learn and share experiences, and I've gotten some great corals from fellow members (thanks reefhunter!). Thanks for looking and sharing! Jon (amos) Edited December 13, 2008 by amos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 Looks great Jon. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 Looking good. Tagging along for updates............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vader September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 Nice tank, I'll be tagging along to see the updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 Very nice. What type of lights you running? I too will be tagging along to see all the updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Grenier September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 Great work, quite an evolution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos September 22, 2008 Author Share September 22, 2008 Thanks, all. reefmontalvo - I'm running a 4 bulb teklight fixture. Currently, I have the following bulbs. ATI Blue Plus GE 6500k ATI Blue Plus Geisemann Actinic+ (their blue bulb) I've swapped out that second ATI Blue Plus for pure actinic, aquablue, and the UVL 75/25, but I'm happiest with the blue plus I think. Without having a blue background on the tank, I don't think it makes things too blue, and makes the colors pop best with decent PAR. Just my uneducated observations. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 I painted the background on my tank Black for that reason. You can only have so much blue in the tank. I mean the sky blue is nice in the LFS, but I like to have a black background gives the tank depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos October 28, 2008 Author Share October 28, 2008 Some general updates from the 90. My GBTA (pic 1) tangled with a green yuma yesterday evening. Apparently the yuma won, as the GBTA is now on the move for the first time in over a year. I'm going to watch his path with great interest, as I don't want this to start a chain reaction... In September, I inexplicable lost two of my oldest inhabitants. I lost a coral beauty that had been with me for 6+ years. She had lived in the 29, and the 55. I wonder if this is a good length of time for survival in captivity? I also lost a coral banded shrimp which had been around for the same length of time. My oldest inhabitant is now a crusty old scarlet reef hermit (the only one of his kind in the tank). Lastly, I have what I think is a very smart and ornery starry blenny. My wife and I are convinced that he is methodically looking at ways to escape the tank. He has located the overflow box and jumped in numerous times (somehow going up and over the baffles). He also has a penchant for sticking his head out of the water to assess his surroundings (pic 2). Is this normal behavior? Regards, Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak October 28, 2008 Share October 28, 2008 Lastly, I have what I think is a very smart and ornery starry blenny. My wife and I are convinced that he is methodically looking at ways to escape the tank. He has located the overflow box and jumped in numerous times (somehow going up and over the baffles). He also has a penchant for sticking his head out of the water to assess his surroundings (pic 2). Is this normal behavior? Regards, Jon I don't know about normal but its sure funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoothtriqueter October 28, 2008 Share October 28, 2008 haha looks like a frog! Nice GBTA shot. How have the SPS held up in the tank? Everything looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos October 28, 2008 Author Share October 28, 2008 haha looks like a frog! Nice GBTA shot. How have the SPS held up in the tank? Everything looks great! The monti caps have been doing great (the red one on the left side has grown pretty big). I don't dose anything, so I'm hesitant to overstock sps. I did get a frag of green slimer from reefhunter that I will post growth pictures of in a month or so. SPS tends to grow fairly quickly, but in thinner structures in the tank under these lights. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schulzjp November 10, 2008 Share November 10, 2008 Any sump pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos January 20, 2009 Author Share January 20, 2009 General Update I'll admit it, I got a little caught up in the aquascaping wave. I needed to make some room for corals, and wanted to create some more vertical viewing interest, so I figured I would try moving some rocks around. This allowed me to place a couple of new monti frags (a little small to see right now). Maintenance wise, everything was going fine until one of maxi-jet mod shafts broke in half a few days ago. I called algaefree, and they said they would send me one immediately as it was still under warranty. I may have to get a temporary replacement until I receive the part. The product has its flaws, but I'm still a firm believer as its so inexpensive. Hitchhiker Crab Over the past few years, I would catch a glimpse of a hitcher crab in the tank every few months (who hasn't had one of these?). Just when I thought he had gone, he would pop up and then disappear again. Yesterday, I finally managed to snap a picture of him. The following site allowed me to properly ID him: http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchcrabs.html. It looks like he's the xanthidae shown in the 2nd pic here: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/reefs/guamimg/cru...idae/index.html. It says that these are opportunistic feeders that borrow in live rock. That being said, I looked around and noticed a long tunnel running through one of the rocks that I'm fairly sure didn't exist before. I haven't paid him much attention, as I've only lost one fish the past couple of years to something unexplained- a yellow watchman goby- which this probably explains. I'm considering now if I need to have him removed, but I actually think he's pretty cool and I have to take my hat off to him for being a survivor. Bluejaw Trigger I've now had the bluejaw for just over two months. He's eaten great, but has been consistently timid and has even been picked on a bit by an ocellaris clownfish. He has also jumped into the overflow box once, so I'm really keeping an eye on him. Hope you enjoy the pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bendalat January 20, 2009 Share January 20, 2009 Nice. Very Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak January 21, 2009 Share January 21, 2009 freaking nice, I regret not making it down there yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia January 21, 2009 Share January 21, 2009 Your tank is looking really nice, lots of growth and great colors! I had a hitch hiker xanthid crab for about 18 months in my tank. That darn crab had a taste for snails and was a frag thief. Over that period of time I lost easily 25+ snails and 5 or so frags. I could see where the frags were and finally decided to see what the crab was up to. I pulled out some rocks and found his burrow, loaded with snail shells and bleached frags but no crab. I moved around some more rocks but couldn't find the crab so I put the tank back together. Later that day I saw my bicolor blenny picking at something in the back corner of the tank. It was the crab - dead. I must have inadvertantly squished him when i was moving rocks. Oops...however, that crab had wreaked havoc in the tank so he got what was coming I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos January 21, 2009 Author Share January 21, 2009 Your tank is looking really nice, lots of growth and great colors! I had a hitch hiker xanthid crab for about 18 months in my tank. That darn crab had a taste for snails and was a frag thief. Over that period of time I lost easily 25+ snails and 5 or so frags. I could see where the frags were and finally decided to see what the crab was up to. I pulled out some rocks and found his burrow, loaded with snail shells and bleached frags but no crab. I moved around some more rocks but couldn't find the crab so I put the tank back together. Later that day I saw my bicolor blenny picking at something in the back corner of the tank. It was the crab - dead. I must have inadvertantly squished him when i was moving rocks. Oops...however, that crab had wreaked havoc in the tank so he got what was coming I guess. Wow. Thanks for sharing that. I hope mine never gets a taste for corals. So far I haven't noticed anything like that. Were there particular corals he would go after? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy953 January 22, 2009 Share January 22, 2009 Beautiful photos! How is that trigger doing in the tank? Gotta keep my wife away from your thread or I'll be hounded til I get one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia January 22, 2009 Share January 22, 2009 Wow. Thanks for sharing that. I hope mine never gets a taste for corals. So far I haven't noticed anything like that. Were there particular corals he would go after? It never ate the corals, just stole them to used to shore up his burrow. He stole two M. digitata frags, a ric that was on a small roc, a small rock of zoas, and of course he'd pull them all the way into the rock. I could see them but there was no way to get them out unless I took out some rocks. It was the snails that he ate...and lots of them. He seemed to prefer margarita and nerite snails. I was constantly replacing them. Never bothered the larger turbos or the small nassarius snails. Hopefully yours behaves. If not you can always toss it in the sump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos January 22, 2009 Author Share January 22, 2009 Beautiful photos! How is that trigger doing in the tank? Gotta keep my wife away from your thread or I'll be hounded til I get one! He's doing ok. He's been pretty timid, and stays on one side of the tank until I put food in, and then he goes wild over the food. He has eaten everything I've put in. He's not being bullied. Everyone leaves him alone (I have a white cheek tang, clown, starry blenny, and a melanarus wrasse), but since he's near the clown's hosting spot, they get into scuffles every once and a while. He hasn't gone after any invertebrates in the tank. But he's also still a bit jumpy and can get easily startled. I think he's still going through a transition period, so I'm keeping a close watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoothtriqueter January 22, 2009 Share January 22, 2009 he is gorgeous....The tank looks awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardofNOVA January 22, 2009 Share January 22, 2009 Tank is looking awesome Jon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos March 15, 2009 Author Share March 15, 2009 Some growth shots. I originally added this florida ricordea in August 07. I've notice that it takes a few months for the mushrooms to settle in before they start splitting in my tank. What's interesting is how this coral has changed shape (appearance) over the years. The pseudotentacles (bulbs) have really kind of inflated up. I wondered if it was a reaction to the light, so I've moved them around to no avail. My suspicion is it may be related to allelopathy, but I have other florida rics that have not reacted similarly. I'd love to hear if anyone has any experience with this. I think they look interesting. January 08 (my wife took this pic) September 08 March 09 Green Slimer August 08 March 09 And some recent additions... I picked up the Lobo and the Yumas from the Aquarium Company to add even more mushrooms to my mushroom dominated tank! Flower Petal Monti Branching Lobo Hemprichii Orange Yuma Ricordea Thanks for looking! - Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo March 15, 2009 Share March 15, 2009 Looks great. I have been documenting my corals with photos since it was such a PITA when it came to seeing now much growth I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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