Albertan22's 120g Reef

Leah · #1 09-07-2009, 03:27 PM

I think you will want to get rid of the crab...not good. Tank looks great!

Albertan22 · #2 09-09-2009, 06:47 PM

Well, there's definately another mantis haunting my tank

I can hear him excavating away in the rock and managed to catch a glimpse of him a couple days ago. He was in a rock that isn't easily moved, but I haven't seen him since. I think I'm going to try a DIY bottle trap this weekend and see if I can't get him out.

Another bit of good news, adding the second batch of rock (which was fully curred) did wonders to reducing the smell in the house. We don't even notice it anymore unless the cabinet doors to the sump are open. I've also noticed a lot of condensation in my canopy. The back is open, but the condensation problem seems to be up near the front. I'm hoping that the canopy is designed for the humidity and well sealed. Maybe it will be better once the lights are on and there's more heat in there?

fishytime · #3 09-10-2009, 02:25 AM

Looks like your off to a good start....if your handy you could mount/cut a couple fans into the canopy....this will also help keep the tank cool..

Albertan22 · #4 09-13-2009, 07:35 PM

Well I've had no luck so far catching that mantis with my bottle trap. I think I may need to redesign or just plain move it to another location in the tank. It's hard to get it to sit still without turning off my powerheads.

I also solved the humidity problem in the canopy. I just pulled it ahead about an inch so there is a small air space at the front, it stays pretty dry now. It may not be a long term solution if I ever get any jumping fish though. Which brings me to a more fun topic... Fish!

It occured to me that I need to start thinking about a stocking list. The tank is much to young right now for fish, but I've had a QT tank cycling in the basement for a few weeks that I'm hoping may be ready by next weekend.

I'm not exactly sure what I want, so I was hoping to get a few sugestions.

So far I'm thinking of an ocellaris clown pair, some kind of fairy or flasher wrasse, a mandarin (will not be adding until next summer) and a tang or two. I was thinking of going with a powder blue or powder brown for my tang, but I've since learned that they're very aggressive, especially in smaller tanks. I also really like purple tangs, but they can be pretty aggressive too... Any thoughts or suggestions?

Dez · #5 09-13-2009, 07:48 PM

The build looks good so far. I feel your pain with the mantis and having to hunt him down. I remember spending an entire superbowl Sunday 6 years ago hunting down a mantis in my fully stocked 120 gallon tank. Better get it now before you have any livestock.

For humidity in the canopy, I would suggest DC muffin fans (DC because you can then control the speed with a voltage adapter so you can keep the tank super quiet. I don't like AC fans cause I find most to be loud).

As for stocking list - if you are patient, then look for people shutting their tanks down. I have gotten quite a few nice specimens from shutdowns (the fish seem healthier and are more acclimated to aquarium life than a typical store bought fish. You never know if a store bought is cyanide caught or not). I like yellow tangs, a flasher, solerensis, or myster wrasse is nice, royal gramma maybe, and it depends what kind of corals/inverts you'll have in your tank I always like pygmy angels - either a flame, potter's or coral beauty (I am still on the hunt for one that won't nip at sps/clams).

Hope this helps, enjoying your tank journal so far.

Desmond

Albertan22 · #6 09-17-2009, 06:35 PM

Well it's Day 14 of the cycle and time for an update. We've noticed an erruption of life in the tank as of late, lots of feather dusters and/or tube worms all over the rock. The sand seems filled with little worm trails and whatnot. We also noticed some type of pods racing around the glass of the DT for the first time last night. I can't seem to get a decent picture of any of these things, so no photo updates for now.

I'm also experiencing a diatom bloom right now. It's on all the rock that I bought partially cured, but not on any of the cured stuff and not much on the sand. There's also a bunch in the sump, and surprisingly even in the bottom part of my skimmer! I'm not too concerned about it right now as I understand it's just part of the cycle. I've been running phosban in a reactor and carbon passively in the sump, hopefully it goes away soon.

Speaking of the cycle, I seem to have experienced my ammonia spike. It was about 1.0 ppm on Sunday, and is now down to 0.25 ppm. Funny thing is, I also had a nitrite spike, but now it's not measureable anymore even though I'm still reading ammonia. I'm wondering if it's because some of the rock may still be curring? At this rate though, my DT will be cycled before my QT, which has been up and running a week longer. This is annoying because I would really like to get some fish into QT so I can have some fish in the DT by November! Alas patience is what this hobby is all about...

Albertan22 · #7 09-17-2009, 06:52 PM

Thanks for checking out my build and the advice Dez

I'm still trying to get that mantis out. Though I haven't been pursuing him that agressivly. I think it's time to step up my efforts though as I'll probably be ready to add some snails and cleanup crew to the tank in the comming weeks. I've been using mysis as bait and I swear that some have been eaten every morning after I set the trap. I think I need a bigger bottle as the neck of the small bottle I used isn't that far off the bottom when I cut it and flipped it around to build the trap.

ponokareefer · #8 09-17-2009, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albertan22

It occured to me that I need to start thinking about a stocking list. The tank is much to young right now for fish, but I've had a QT tank cycling in the basement for a few weeks that I'm hoping may be ready by next weekend.

I'm not exactly sure what I want, so I was hoping to get a few sugestions.

So far I'm thinking of an ocellaris clown pair, some kind of fairy or flasher wrasse, a mandarin (will not be adding until next summer) and a tang or two. I was thinking of going with a powder blue or powder brown for my tang, but I've since learned that they're very aggressive, especially in smaller tanks. I also really like purple tangs, but they can be pretty aggressive too... Any thoughts or suggestions?

The clownfish would be a good fish to get, as would the fairy or flasher wrasse's. If you are thinking about getting more than one type of fairy wrasse, it is typically better to add them at the same time to avoid fighting. Also, make sure you have a completely covered tank if you are looking at getting wrasse's.
As for tangs, with only a 4 foot tank(same as mine), you are more limited in what you can get. You're limited to mainly the following 3 groups: Zebrasoma(but not sailfin), Ctenochaetus, and Acanthurus(only the smaller ones). There are some really nice ones of the 3 groups, like the yellow tang, lemonpeel mimic tang, kole tang, and chocolate tang. You would probably only want to get 2, maximum 3 tangs total, and I wouldn't recommend getting 2 from the same group, such as a purple tang and a yellow tang. I have read that a lot of people have issues with aggressive purple tangs as well, just so you are aware.

Albertan22 · #9 09-17-2009, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponokareefer

The clownfish would be a good fish to get, as would the fairy or flasher wrasse's. If you are thinking about getting more than one type of fairy wrasse, it is typically better to add them at the same time to avoid fighting. Also, make sure you have a completely covered tank if you are looking at getting wrasse's.
As for tangs, with only a 4 foot tank(same as mine), you are more limited in what you can get. You're limited to mainly the following 3 groups: Zebrasoma(but not sailfin), Ctenochaetus, and Acanthurus(only the smaller ones). There are some really nice ones of the 3 groups, like the yellow tang, lemonpeel mimic tang, kole tang, and chocolate tang. You would probably only want to get 2, maximum 3 tangs total, and I wouldn't recommend getting 2 from the same group, such as a purple tang and a yellow tang. I have read that a lot of people have issues with aggressive purple tangs as well, just so you are aware.

I'm thinking that the clowns will be the first in, after that I'm not sure what I'll get. Tangwise I've been thinking that I may go with a kole tang, and possibly a yellow tang if I decide that I have room after that.

Thanks for looking guys!

Leah · #10 09-19-2009, 03:29 PM

New pictures yet???