Reef Tank DIY - For Dummies

[Dash]

A few more "firsts" for this tank...

Did the first water change! (My usual schedule being the 1st of the month) It was not too bad. I'll have to work on a few things to make it easier but not much maintenance to do at this point.

I also took my little bits & pieces of frags to JL & got some store credit. I was kinda nervous, since they weren't rare acropora from Timbuktu, but they took it. Chi-ching! So proud...

I guess I'll use some of that credit on a tang after all. I believe in keeping a balanced tank & most of my fish are carnivores, except for 2 pretty small blennies. There's a few bits of hair algae here & there, so I thought it might be good to have a tang. Narrowed it down to a Kole or Yellow. I do like the looks of a Yellow more. Any input as to which would work better in my tank?

I noticed that my bonsai was looking pale, and then the rainbow monti & stylo had some spots of STN. So I decided it was time to haul out the test kits, a couple of which are new & unopened . Good news is that the chaeto is doing its job - nitrates are zero or close to it. Anyway, not surprising that I got low readings of calcium & alk, so I guess I can't procrastinate anymore on the dosing, which is something I assured my husband would not be necessary on a "fowlr" tank, haha. I had some Brightwell Two Part sitting on the shelf so I've started that, but I can see it will not last very long. Do many of you use the BRS stuff? I'm not seeing something similar from JL, and I would like something dummy proof & easy.

Other than that, everything is going well. Interesting how the tanks have gone through all these stages. I had the invasions of amphipods and bristleworms, 3 days of pineapple sponge mania, then crazy numbers of vermetids (which just disappeared recently; I think puffers finally developed a taste for them). Now there are sponges and mini brittle stars everywhere.

Sponges are cool, and in pretty shades of pink, white, purple & blue.