Our first SW tank - 180 gal build

[reefgirl189]

I'm sorry, it's been a very long time since my last update. I've been incredibly overloaded with a hectic work schedule and the dogs. We recently got our show male back from his showing circuit in Oklahoma and I'm happy to say he's now a multi-champion with the AKC and UKC both on bench and show! Now we can finally let him relax and enjoy the good life for a few months.

So here's the update:

The new tank has been set up for over 6 months now.

I debated re-aquascaping a bit over the past few months but I'm over that now. I like all the caves and shady hiding spots and I think the fish appreciate them also.

I haven't been having huge success with corals and I'm a bit disappointed about that but I know where my problems lie. I need to get a better understanding of the dosing/water change relationship. I'm thinking about changing the salt I use also (currently using IO) as I find it's low on calcium and doing frequent water changes messes with the levels too often. I know stability is key so perhaps a better quality salt will help with that.

Some of the more recent additions (in the last 3 months) include:

Blue throat male and female trigger
Regal Tang
A new sailfin tang
3 sand sifting starfish
1 diamond goby (haven't seen him yet unfortunately, but he's only been in there since yesterday)
3 lyretail anthias

I haven't added any new corals lately for obvious reasons. I don't want to add to a problem I haven't fixed yet.

Here's plenty of pictures of the livestock though: